By William Smith
If fundraising is successful, Dankwardt Park will have an entirely new playground by the end of the year, replacing the current play equipment installed more than 30 years ago.
The plan for the playground is grand — $1 million worth of renovations and new playground equipment that will make it suitable for every child, no matter their mobility.
But the memories that will be built there by residents will be even greater than its cost, according to Eric Tysland, Burlington community development and parks director.
He is hoping that childhood nostalgia will encourage locals to donate toward the new playground.
“This is very important to residents,” Tysland said. “We want this to be a destination playground. Something visitors will want to come to.”
Tysland presented initial plans to the Burlington City Council last Monday (Jan. 31), causing several council members to wax nostalgic about their childhood experiences at Dankwardt Park.
“I played on that playground when I was a little guy, 6 or 7 years old,” said city council member Robert Critser. “Now my kids play on it. I think it is time for an upgrade.”
Fellow city council member Matt Rinker played on that equipment, too.
“I’m pretty sure I have a couple of scars from the existing playground,” Rinker said with a grin.
The timeline for completion is rough right now since a lot of it depends on fundraising efforts over the next year.
But if things go well, Tysland believes the playground will be ready by the end of 2022.
The timeline presented to the council calls for a design firm to be hired by April and public input from May through September. Tysland hopes to have the playground equipment ordered and site construction started by this summer, with a completion date of November or December.
“We’ve been looking at (renovating) this playground for five-plus years,” Tysland said. “It’s kind of an icon for Burlington — a critical playground.”
A more challenging
playground
Though the exact design of the new playground has yet to be finalized, Tysland and Ryan Gourley, Burlington park and forestry superintendent, have a good idea of what some of the equipment will be.
There will be a spinner — spinning structures like a merry-go-round, but safer. Swinging benches on the periphery of the playground will make parents feel involved.
The slides, ramps, and structures will not only be handicap accessible but will offer a graded challenge for each age range. There will even be structures that challenge a child’s problem-solving skills.
“You are going to have to challenge yourself,” Gourley said. “When kids come back (over the years), they can experience something different.”
A playground decided
by the community
Gourley and Tysland have gathered plenty of input on what the public wants from a playground through a survey, but they aren’t done yet.
They will hold at least one public meeting to show off the plan over the summer, likely at the playground itself, weather permitting.
“We won’t have the wooden structure (that connects the slides), but we do want to incorporate some of it into our design,” Tysland said.
The surfaces not on play equipment will be safe rubber, as requested by the survey. That’s a renovation that came along in the 1990s, Gourley said and will become the standard as other playgrounds are updated.
But for now, the focus is on Dankwardt Park and making it a safe and enjoyable space for the next generation, not to mention the current one.
“I think the big thing is the inclusivity,” Gourley said. “It’s going to challenge people from 2 to 99 years old.”
About half of the playground’s cost has been donated or pledged already, and further donations can be sent to the city of Burlington. A section of the city’s webpage will update locals on the progress and how to donate.
“I think this is going to be a game-changer for our parks department,” mayor Jon Billups said.
